Mackenzie 92
Member
Another vote for Alienist, great great book. You might also like Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.
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What are you reading? (July 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Another vote for Alienist, great great book. You might also like Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.
A true literary masterpiece indeed
I finished Kafka on the Shore this morning. I wasn't sure what to read next but your post has swayed me towards The Wind Up Bird. Kafka on the Shore was great but I'm not so fond of the unanswered mysteries.
Started on:
I'm about half-way through this book and it took me a bit longer to warm up to it. Glokta and especially Bayaz are handled really well, though.
So, I have this, and I love most the characters, but Glokta just disturbs me. From the torture (his own, to others), and the fact that I can imagine him really well, I just dread his chapters and pretty much have to force myself to read through them.
I'm not even that far into the book, but... man. Glokta.
Maklershed
Member
You linked to your books list, not your profileWhich I guess isn't really wrong, lol, just added a few extra clicks
I still have no idea what I'm in the mood to read =/
Have you ever read The Long Ships? If not, I suggest you read that immediately.
(I'd check your goodreads list but can't see it at work)
Tragicomedy
Member
Looking forward to checking out the next two books (are these good too?), but am going to take a break and read 1984 before jumping into Shadows Linger. Never read 1984, so should be fun. Read the first chapter and it seems really neat so far.
I just finished all three books in the past month or so. I thought the first was the best, as it features epic battles on a scale you won't find in the next two. The second book is really good, but the story takes a while longer to really get started. The third book is excellent, and right on par with the first one.
Great trilogy overall, and Croaker becomes such a great character. I will definitely be continuing on with the later books.
Mackenzie 92
Member
I have an idea for you.
Do share!
Not on the list, but a recommendation from you I'll throw on the list.
Edward Adrift is a daily deal at Amazon and sounds really great, but I read it's the sequel to 600 Hours of Edward, which is cheap as well, I think I will read this next. "Heartfelt and hilarious, this moving novel will appeal to fans of Daniel Keyes’s classic Flowers for Algernon and to any reader who loves an underdog."
Yeah, decided on that. Now reading..
I'd honestly say his best books probably aren't the best place to start. I feel as if most people would say either The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Norwegian Wood, but The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is long and tends to drag at times, and Norwegian Wood is kind of unlike any of his other books. But if you must start with his best, I'd say Norwegian Wood is a good one. I personally started with After Dark, and while not his best book, it gives you a good feel of what his style is like and it's pretty short.
I read Murakami (mostly) in the order of release. I think that worked fine for me - and I didn't feel like I front-loaded it by reading all the best novels at the beginning.
I didn't even know there was a new book!
I didn't even know there was a new book!
I think he means the Gaf book club
Haha not quite sure I'm in the mood for Lolita, kind of want to stick to sci-fi for the month.
!?!?!?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorless_Tsukuru_Tazaki_and_His_Years_of_Pilgrimage
And the cover is great. Here's a picture of it with a cat:
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
It's a collection of 12 short stories by Calvino (so not very long), each starting a with a short scientific fact that then lead into fantastical stories about the universe and its evolution. The first story, The Distance of the Moon, is probably my favourite so far. The imagery is really great:
what whats that? thats the exact same cover like
Jorge Luis Borges - The Aleph and Other Stories
Maklershed
Member
How about Pushing Ice by Reynolds?
ripastraea
Member
Nope, this is the first. Honestly I'd never heard of him before the Idle Book Club episode on Cosmicomics
What are you reading by him?
Hm I'm not sure what that's about but thanks for mentioning it. I was looking for a clear picture:
dream
Member
I'm not Mumei, but If On a Winter's Night a Traveler is one of my favorite novels ever.
You've probably already read em, but I always have to recommend Childhood's End and the rest of Clarke stories to people talking about sci-fi. I also mentioned Contact early in the thread which I think is pretty solid sci-fi as well. There's also A Canticle for Leibowitz, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others I mentioned.
Roadside Picnic sounds pretty good, by the way.
Rug Monkey
Member
It's M. C. Escher ... used all over the place...
ripastraea
Member
Cool, I'll check it out
Finished Foundation, now halfway through Foundation & Empire. Rereading them (though it's been years), they're still fantastic. Second Foundation is next.
Should I bother with the other books in the Foundation saga?
Sure, why not, as long as they ain't written by someone else (Second Foundation Trilogy or some such, basically fanfiction...)
They aren't bad, though they're a bit different.
The sequels are better than prequels though, i think.
Duane Cunningham
Member
Does anyone know if "A Quest of Heroes" is any good? I downloaded it last week when it was the free iBook. Is it too juvenile?
Co-sign. Calvino's Invisible Cities are supposed to be really good too, but when I was reading it I wasn't feeling it at all. But the premise is great! A traveler describes all these dream-like cities to a king. Calvino may be gimmicky but he's awesome.
Haven't read in almost two weeks but I am working on
Well, nothing currently but:
If on a winter's night a traveler is one of my favorite novels. I have also read Marcovaldo (didn't do much for me), The Baron in the Trees (fantastic), and Invisible Cities (
fantastic
I was introduced to Calvino by a professor in college: We were talking and somehow Murakami came up - I think because I was reading something of his at the time and said professor had taught in Japan - and he mentioned Calvino as another author with surreal, magical realist works, and specifically suggested Cosmicomics and If on a winter's night. Great recommendation.
Yes. Potential. Yes.
I agree, if this or Flaubert's Madame Bovary is chosen next month, I'm in.
I wouldn't want Madame Bovary. It is fantastic, but I read it already this year!
I'm reading it anyway, so it doesn't matter
Are you reading it for a class or just for yourself?
For myself. I love French so I've been wanting to read this for a while (reading it in French btw).
Oh! I had to read the Lydia Davis translation. It's one of those books where just hearing people talk about the writing in the original makes me wish I could read it in the original language. I had the same experience with Faust, The Divine Comedy, Don Quixote, and The Story of the Stone more recently.
It's a shame not to be able to read those in the original language. I'm looking forward to experiencing Madame Bovary in French. I've read that Davis' translation is very faithful though.
I kind of feel the urge to learn Italian to read Calvino's works. Not gonna happen though
I would also be in for this - just bought the book last month and haven't started it yet!
I've read some Calvino in Italian back in school! I am Italian though so I'm cheatingI kind of feel the urge to learn Italian to read Calvino's works. Not gonna happen though
Also recently picked up If on a winter's night a traveler and Invisible Cities - haven't lived in Italy for a few years now, and I read pretty much in English only nowadays, so I've been wanting to read something in Italian as a refresher.
ah ok i see.
@murakami
i would say start out with norwegian wood or sputnik sweetheart. Both give you at least a sense for murakami (sputnik sweetheart is more typical). And then continue wherever you want. I personally LOVE the wind up bird chronicles to death.
Iam also looking forward to his new book so mouch because i really everything i read about it so far.
Nope but I'm hearing great things about it from people who have grown tired of his work.
Finished Foundation, now halfway through Foundation & Empire. Rereading them (though it's been years), they're still fantastic. Second Foundation is next.
Should I bother with the other books in the Foundation saga?
Yes, yes, yes. I actually like the sequels better than the original trilogy. The prequels are good as well, but not as good as the sequels in my opinion.
I'd also recommend reading the Robot series as well if you like his stuff. It's not as good as the Foundation series but it is still solid.
I'll check it out, thanks!
I read Leibowitz like 10 years ago but I don't remember much about it now so I'm probably due for a re-read. I'v also never read Childhood's End so I'll add that to the list. Roadside picnic is indeed awesome if you haven't read it.
Just finished reading this by Phillip Meyer at the behest of a friend, and thank god. Just an amazing, amazing book.
Now I'm about to get started on Meyer's first novel:
Thanks for posting this. Did a bit of investigating and I think I might want to read something from this writer.